Vacuum Tube Computing
February 4, 2026 • EPISODE 296
Join Roger Billings, a technology thought leader and innovator, as he draws from his diverse range of life experiences, inspiring students of all ages to love science and to understand the value of education in empowering their life missions.
This highly motivational and informative lecture series, hosted by the International Academy of Science, is part of the Roger Billings Mentoring Scholarship.
About DrB
Dr. Roger Billings is a visionary innovator whose work has touched the lives of millions of students and transformed the landscape of education. Widely known as “DrB” to the countless kids who benefit from his groundbreaking Acellus learning system, Dr. Billings has dedicated his life to advancing education through technology.
As part of DrB’s lifelong commitment to supporting education, Science LIVE was launched as a way to “give back” by mentoring students in conjunction with the Roger Billings Scholarship Program.
Read more about DrB »
About the Roger Billings Scholarship Program »
Loved learning about the vacuum tube.
Here from Indiana!
I love learning about new things on the lives!
I really enjoyed this continuation of describing how vacuum tubes helped to make modern day computers!
These videos are the best! The guys did a great job!
My mom was watching this with me and she said she remembers floppy disk but they were smaller so probably the one you invented.
Computers are so cool! I can’t believe how big the first one was. They are so tiny now!
AI work is definitely growing!
David and Caleb make it much more entertaining!
this was cool 😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎
this is 😎 🆒️
R51 is so funny! I love the videos!
cool beans cool computer
Such a great live this week! Can’t wait to see more next week!!!!
I love the science live!
space is so cool
David and Caleb were great.
AI work is interesting!!
Interesting information in these videos that I would never learn otherwise!
Wow I never knew how majorly important that little vacuum tube was.
I leard early computers were so big and now they can be super tiny
Thank you for these videos every week I love how funny they are even though I have only been doing Acellus since last week I still love it. Thank you guys sooooooo much for having me I really appreciate it! Thank you guys soooooooooooooo much!
Great Science Live, I loved the computers part. 😀
Science live is the best!
Love Acellus!
I love watching these!!
Im always amazed by these episodes
I love space exploration!
love r-51 he is so cool and great
Having computing systems in space would be awesome!
I liked the part with Tobias.
Hi from Montana, what a great episode. I have a question for Dr. Tobias, could you do the invention of the animatronic? I think it is a cool invention and would love to learn how it was made and who made it. Can’t wait for next weeks episode.
If you are commenting and read my comment and think that you be interesting invention please put “Dr. Tobias animatronic” in your comment. Thank you and have an exciting day!
Comment I love these videos. Very interesting.
hello from Mississippi computer are great
I love learning about the computers
you guys explained binary very simple. you guys are the best.
This was not my favorite episode, couldn’t wrap my head around the concept
Happy to watch these every week!!!
My favorite part was when R51 was teaching us how to use vacuum tubes in computers with pixels on screens and other electronics.
What is the estimate amount of years for the ai to be in space?
HII love from texas
Loved learning how computers work today!
I love science live I learn so much every week! R51 and the protégés are keepers for life!
Great Live today!! One of the best so far in my opinion!
I love watching Science Live
I enjoyed learning about john mauchly
I love learning from the lives!!
What year did Armstrong land on the moon ?
Where will the Science fair take place?
I really enjoyed this episode.
Another interesting science live! Love these.
This was really cool!
I’m amazed at all the things that were needed to be made to make a functioning computer.
Science live was really interesting this week.
I loved David and Caleb’s video and the part of the delivery! Laughing my head off!
Can’t wait for the next
I love the video! Thank you for the info. Hello from nc!
This video was by far the best! It was hilarious! Hello from Kentucky! Excited for the next one!
that was so cool with the computer communication
Vacuum tubes are a very big thing now.
How much fuel does a rocket need to get to the moon?
Hello from Louisiana
Binary is awesome!
I liked learning about vacuum tube computing!
I loved this episode. David and Caleb were great!
I really liked the proteges video. It was one of my favs
I love Acellus and science.
Love learning new things ever week!
Never realized it was that hard to get to the moon.
Science live is very helpful.
Very interesting science live!
It was so cool to learn about the first computer!! I can’t wait for the next episode of Science Live!!
Science Live! I enjoyed this video today!
Science live is awesome!
I enjoy watching these!
This was a very interesting video. I love how you always learn more than just one subject. Thank you, and cant wait to see the next video.
When Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were landing on the moon, how did they not know that they were going to land on rocks?
I love watching these lives! I always learn something new.
I love Acellus and science
I,m tired so I,m not going to be able to finish this live am a little sad but oh well I also have to Read am almost done and I went to finish . but so far this is interesting.
Nice! Does this mean laptop are made up of thousands of mini-switches? Also, what’s with the pizza?
It is interesting that solar produces more energy in space!
So fun to learn about the Apollo missions! Can’t wait for next week!
I really want to go to Acellus World but my Mom said l don’t know. I don’t really know much about it. 😕
it is so amazing that computers can be big and small.
Did R-51 create the transistor?
what is a vacuum tube?
Hi from Oklahoma. Loved this episode.
It’s really interesting learning about how far we’ve come with technology!
Wow, I never new A.I used so much power,
or electricity!
I think its funny that a kid help solve a problem to help with the moon landing
SO cool!
It was so cool to learn about computers. Their evolution is crazy!! To hear about what my parents had to use, big chunky computers, vs the ones we have now, for example the small thin one I’m using is so interesting.
hello, watching from Texas! loved the video it was great!
Hello from texas
Science Live is always the highlight of my week!
thank you for teaching me something new!!
How can they weave the wire?
I agree. I love the videos on Acellus!
This Science Live was really interesting! Love the streams
Will the Ai work the same if its in space?
It’s so cool how computers started so big and now they look so small.
I like r51, He is pretty funny.
I find it so fascinating how computers are made with how complicated that stuff is!
Once again, the little acting from the Inventioneers and the Proteges really kept me intrigued with the lesson about vacuum tube computing. I’m glad I got to learn about how computers were invented.
I love Science Live!
So interesting can’t wait for the next one
I liked hearing Dr Tobias talk about what it was like trying to get to the moon in the 1950’s, & how they needed a computer to help them get to the moon.
I did not know that Elon musk sent 10000000 sadalits in space
love science live videos!!
I really enjoyed this episode, the computers were very interesting to learn about.
I love science live!
I really enjoyed this science live
I love science live so much! I wish I could watch them live but I have church every Wednesday, I always watch science live first thing when I wake up! I’ve learned so many things so far and this is only my first year of Acellus! I can’t wait to learn so much more in the next few years. Thank you for making learning so fun!
this was such a cool video!
The clips it showed for the sneak peak looked fun
I didn’t know computers used to be so big. I would love to see an original computer.
I would love to go to that event!! I’m so sad I’m nowhere near Kanas.
i love learning on science live!!
This was a great video! I can’t wait for more.
I love learning about computers!
Loved the video! Thanks Mr. B!
I think it’ll be really cool to go to the moon again.
I never knew delivering a pizza would be THAT hard
Thank you for taking the time to do science live!
My dad uses vacuum tube amplifiers with his guitar
Its really cool that students help make the videos!
Computers are so interesting! I want to learn more!
I loved the information.
Soooo amazing
i really like Daniel and Caled. They should do them every time.
Wowwww sooo amazing
I love learning new stuff ever week
Thank you <3.
I loved this science live!
This was so interesting and I learned so much stuff!
These videos are awesome!
This was such a good science live,especially the part about computers.
These kinds of videos are the best
Thank your for today’s science live, it was very fun and educational to watch.
How will this new form help store hydrogen?
Really cool video. I learned about rockets, Ai and how computers and cellphones work, everything works with binary that is ones and zeros.
I love Acellus!
From watching the video I learned about the different types of computers and how they are able to work. Using different computers for different reasons to compute different information.
It is so cool how there is only a micro chip in a laptop that holds all of your data.
I love learning new things each episode!
So Cool!
I already knew computers used to run on vacuum tubes, but it’s still wild seeing how huge and complex they were.
I look forward to these videos every week!
Going to Kansas for the event would be super cool
Computers are so cool.
Science live is awesome!
Can’t wait for next week’s live!
David and Caleb are back!
Amazing video this week!
I thought it was cool that they made a Starship!
How does AI get the data to make it smart?!
Woah 😮 This kind of stuff is so cool
Every time i watch these they get funner and funner to watch!
Thank you for this weeks video I really enjoyed watching science live I love learning new things every week.
The evolution of computing is really interesting !
Hi from Alabama
Wow, who knew this would be so interesting!
I feel like I learned so much in a single day. What vacuum chambers are, how the NASA landed on the moon, computers, and how they had to knit computers together just so they were programmed back in the 60s.
Very interesting video I really liked it
Yay i love science live
Love the weekly Science videos never know what you will learn about.
These videos are so fun and you learn so much!
Love Science Live!! Thanks for making these vids!
Today is my first day and I love it! I enjoy stuff like this its interesting:)
love r-51 he is so cool
Very cool! i had zero clue you made floppy disc’s !
Hello from Kansas
My mom thinks it is fascinating that Dr. B
manufactured floppy disks. She remembers using them!
love r-51